Gallium-67 Scintigraphy Evaluation of Therapy in Non-Hodgkin' S Lymphoma
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Gallium-67 Scintigraphy Evaluation of Therapy in Non-Hodgkin' s Lymphoma Massimo Gasparini, Emilio Bombardieri, Massimo Castellani, Carlo Tondini, Lorenzo Maffioli, Liliana Devizzi and Paolo Gerundini Nuclear Medicine Department, Ospedale Maggiore-IRCCS, Milan; Nuclear Medicine Division, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan; and Medical Oncology Division, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy tal approaches, whereas those at low risk may do well with Patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma may achieve complete standard therapy. remission (CR) after chemotherapy, and the time to reach CR may Patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) can be predictive of treatment outcome. Partial remission, or recurrence from CR, is associated with poor survival. Gallium-67 imaging has achieve complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy, and the proven to be useful in evaluating lymphoma patients. In tumor time to reach CR may be predictive of treatment outcome. models, this radiotracer is an indicator of tumor viability.Gallium-67 Partial remission (PR), or relapse of disease after CR, is uptake is seen only inavid and viable lymphoma tissue, not infibrotic associated with poor survival. The possibility of further pre or necrotictissue. Inthisstudy,we prospectivelyassessed the ability dicting outcome during early treatment might lead to a change of this radiotracer to define residual disease. In addition, we evalu in therapy, with a potential improvement in survival. ated the possibility of predicting the clinical outcome in patients with Differentiation of tumor from fibrosis within residual radio diffuse cell lymphoma on the basis of scan positivity during chemo graphic masses represents an important diagnostic problem in therapy. Methods: Thirty-three consecufive patients wfth histologi these patients. The presence ofa residual mass after treatment may cally proven diffuse large cell lymphoma were investigated with 6TGa not always indicateresidual disease (3—5);conventionalradiologic scintigraphy 48—72hr after injection of i85—259MBq 67Ga-citrate for staging and duringfollow-upafter fourto six cycles of intensive studies often show a mass when the patient is in CR (6—8).The chemotherapy. Patients were monitored for a mean of 56.0 mo reverse situation, when the disease has disappeared clinically and (range 7—90mo), and they were restaged using physical examina radiologically but the patient shows recurrence very soon after the tion, CT and all necessary imaging modalities. Results: Patients end of treatment or in due course, is also seen (9). were divided into two groups according to the positMty or negativity CT gives information about tumor size and distribution of of 67@3@scan after four to six cycles of chemotherapy. Of the 33 lesions but is sometimes unable to differentiate fibrosis from patients studied, i4 (42.4%) showed persistent abnormal uptake of active lymphoma(10). MRI seems to have a valuable role in initial 67Ga-citrate after four to six cycles of chemotherapy. In this group, staging (11 ) and in assessing residual disease (12), because active 9 patients(64.2%) died of lymphomaat a mean of 24.3 mo from malignant tissue has been reported to have different signal char presentation with the diagnosis (range 7—7imo). Four patients had actenstics from normal tissues or fibrosis (13—15). no evidence ofdisease at an average of 7i .7 mo after diagnosis, and Several studies have examined the potential use of PET with i patient was considered to be in partial remission. In the second biological tracers for tumor detection (16,17), mostly using group of 19 67Ga-negative patients, afterfour to six cycles of chemo therapy, 4 died and i 5 are alive and considered to be in CR. A enhanced glycolysis of vital tumor cells as defined by fluoro @ statistical analysis of the association between 67(3@ resutts after deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. Although nonspecific FDG accu four to six cycles of chemotherapy and survival was performed using mulation in macrophages (18) and hypoxia-induced FDG uptake the log-rank test; there was a Statistically algnificant association (19) could be confounding factors, FDG seems to be an attractive between scan results and survival (p = 0.00i25). Conclusion We radiopharmaceutical for monitoring response to therapy. conclude that 67@3@scintigraphy is an excellent predictor of residual Gallium-67 imaging has proved useful for evaluating lym tumor viat@lityin lymphoma patients and that persistent positMty of phoma patients. In tumor models, this radiotracer is an indicator the scan predicts poor outcome and may justify a change in treat of tumor viability (20). Gallium-67 uptake is seen only in avid merit and viable lymphoma tissue, not in fibrotic or necrotic tissue. Key Words galliumscintigraphy; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma chemo There is now convincing evidence that 67Ga scintigraphy has therapy become an important and essential procedure in evaluating J Nuci Med I99@ [email protected]—I590 cancer patients. It is somewhat paradoxical, therefore, that 67Ga has not yet been generally accepted by the nuclear medicine community. 1@1ultidrugchemotherapyhastransformedaggressivenon In this study, we prospectively assessed the ability of 67Ga Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) from a fatal disease into one that scintigraphy to define residual disease. In addition, we evalu is often curable (1,2). However, many patients still die ofit, and ated the ability to predict clinical outcome in patients with we need a more accurate method of prospectively identifying DLCL on the basis of scan positivity during chemotherapy. patients with different long-term prognoses. The identification of different risk groups could have important therapeutic MATERIALS AND METhODS implications. Patients at high risk who are not effectively treated with current regimens may benefit from new experimen Patient Selection Thirty-three consecutive patients (16 males and 17 females) with histologically proven DLCL entered the study (working formula ReceivedJul.21, 1997;revisionaccepted Dec.2, 1997. tion—intermediate grade, Group E = 4, Group F = 3 and Group For correspondence or reprints contact: Massimo Gasparini, MD, Nuclear Medicine Department,Pad@neGranelIi, OspedaleMagg@re,IRCCS,ViaFrancescoSforza,35, G = 26). The median age was 47.2 yr (range 14—72yr). The 20122Milano,tta@'. patients were assessed by physical examination and routine labo 1586 THE JOURNALOFNUCLEARMEDICINE•Vol. 39 •No. 9 . September 1998 TABLE I collecting 60 projections in a 360°circular orbit at a rate of 40—45 Patient Characteristics sec per projection. After uniformity correction, 8-mm transaxial, coronal and, in some cases, sagittal tomograms were reconstructed patientsTotal33Sex16MF17HistologyNHL4EF3G26Stage12II7III5IV9SiteCharacteristicNumber of using a medium filter (cutoff frequency = 0.4 pixei ‘)with intermediate characteristics between Sheep and Logan and Chesler and suppresses the high frequencies (Toshiba camera). The Picker three-head images were reconstructed using a Wiener filter. SPECT was used in 16 patients. Abnormal 67Ga tumor uptake was defined as any focal or diffuse area of increased activity in a location incompatible with normal anatomy. CT scans were performed in 22 patients (total 42 examinations) before and after treatment, whereas the other 11 patients were investigated with MRI (29 examinations). The main criterion of a positive CT scan was the presence of an abnormal mass in the body and a change in tumor size over time; CT assessment of lymphoma activity is predicated on anatomic criteria. disease23Aboveof MRI was considered positive for active disease (lesion corn diaphragmBelow posed primarily of active tumor tissue) when an homogeneous diaphragm10Treatment8ChemotherapyChemotherapy active pattern, with low signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging and high signal intensity on Tl-weighted imaging, was present. radiotherapy25Mean + Homogeneous inactive pattern, with low signal intensity on Tl - or T2-weighted imaging corresponded to lesions composed primarily yr.NHLage of patients = 47.2 of fibrosis. = non-Hodgkin'slymphoma. After restaging, the patients were categorized as (a) having achieved CR with no evidence of disease on the basis of clinical, laboratory and imaging studies or (b) having uncertain CR when ratory and imaging studies, including chest radiography, CT, MRI, showing no clinical evidence of lymphoma, but having some lymphangiography, bone marrow biopsy and eventually gastroin persistent abnormality on imaging studies at the site of previous testinal and urographic examinations. disease. Thirty-two patients were treated with polychemotherapy for the The results of 67Ga gallium scintigraphy, CT or MRI were first time at National Cancer Institute of Milan (Italy). One patient matched with clinical findings; an imaging finding that agreed with had been treated for Hodgkin's disease 8 yr before the current clinical status was considered to be either true-positive or true diagnosis. negative. Chemotherapy consisted of cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) for 18 patients; cyclophosph RESULTS amide, etoposide, Adriamycin, vePesid and prednisone (CEEP) for Of the 75 67Gascans performed, 48 (64%) showed abnormal 5 patients; or Adriamycin, vePesid, Endoxan, and prednisone (first uptake and 27 (36%) were considered negative. In the group of part)—Ara C, bleomycin, vincristine and methotrexate (second positive scans, there was 1 false-positive result,